Baffle for electric baseboard heater units

ABSTRACT

The baffle of an electric baseboard heater is formed with necked elongated passages, one to house and maintain in place the capillary tube of a thermal-switch and another to house and maintain in place a wire lead connected to one terminal of a heating element for which the baffle serves as a heat reflector.

[151 3,679,868 July 25, 1972 United States Patent England ....219/365 X ........219/366 ....219/368 X .219/364 UX ....219/364 X ...337/377 X ...219/367 X Ma "nut" u. n m m T "flem mq tgkmv v w -defl mnm MLWMWLDS 34467 00 66666m77 99999999 1111111 wwwuxwu: 1 11 00802330 3 5 000 fllmmfihflb 7 730 mn4uml4s 33333333 m 0 Nu k m a m S t Y a A m B m N C M. d 8 m m a,

o 1 m h w w u l s e 1 My! 3 0 mm M u 7 F WTA E E W a M 1 n I A m .m. d N AE v m D. Bu m A F A 1 1 l l 1 4. 232 5 7722 l l l Primary Examiner-A. Bartis [52] US. ..........2l9/368, 165/55, 219/363, Attorney-Marshall]. Breenlet al.

[57] ABSTRACT The baffle of an electn'c baseboard heater is formed with necked elongated passages, one to house and maintain in [51] Int. Cl. 3/04, F24h 9/10, HOSb H02 [58] Field ofSearch..................219/363, 364, 365, 366-368,

place the capillary tube of a thermal-switch and another to house and maintain in place a wire lead connected to one terminal of a heating element for which the baffle serves as a heat reflector.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,020,382 2/1962 Harrell.........,........ ....2l9/366X 2Claims,5DrawingFigures 1 BAFFLE FOR ELECTRIC BASEBOARD HEATER UNITS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to electric baseboard heaters and more particularly is directed to the heat-deflecting baffle of such a heater.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART It has been the conventional practice in electric baseboard heater units to attach internal wires and an elongated capillary tube of a thermal-switch to clips afl'txed at spaced intervals in the units. However such conventional practice has unnecessarily added to the cost of the heater units because of the cost of the clips, the assembly operation involved in affixing the clips to the heater units and the time required to insert the wires and capillary tube into the individual clips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention the heat deflecting baflle of an electrical baseboard heating unit providing upper, rear and lower heat deflecting surfaces for a finned heating element has its upper and lower heat deflecting portions formed to define elongated necked passages therein. A reverse bend in the upper deflecting surface defines one passage and a reverse bend in the lower deflecting surface defines another passage. A wire lead from the heating element is retained in one of the passages and a capillary tube for a thermal-switch is retained in the other passage.

It is an object of the invention to reduce the cost and simplify the manufacture of electrical baseboard heaters.

It is another object of the invention to provide an electrical baseboard heater with a heat deflecting baffle having necked elongated passages formed therein to house and retain a wire lead and the capillary tube of a thermal-switch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during a reading of the specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical baseboard heater unit incorporating the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the heater unit of FIG. 1 with the front covers removed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top view of the heater unit of Figs. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the heater unit of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing the housing and the baffle of the heater unit of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, reference Character designates an electrical baseboard heater unit including a rectangular open faced housing 12 which supports other elements of the unit. The housing 12 includes a rectangular rear of back wall 14, a top wall 16 which is integral with the back wall, and extends outwardly from the back wall, a bottom wall 18 which is also integral with the back wall and extends outwardly from the back wall, and identical oppositely disposed side walls 20 and 22 suitable secured to the back, top and bottom walls of the housing. The depth of the bottom wall 18 is less than that of the top wall 16, and the side walls corresponding in depth to the top wall 16 to a point near the lower end of the side walls where a segment thereof is cut out to reduce the depth to that of the bottom wall 18. A plurality of holes 24 in the back wall 14 allow the housing to be secured to a house wall 26 by screws 28.

The free end segment of the top wall 16 of the housing is turned downwardly and inwardly to form a lip 30, and the free end segment of the bottom wall is turned upwardly and then rearwardly at an acute angle to the upturned portion to'form the lip 32. A heat deflecting baffle 34 is secured to and within the confines of the housing 12 as by screws 36 and is secured to a tab 38 on end plate 40 and to a similar tab (not shown) on end plate 42 as by screws 44. The end plates 40 and 42 divide the housing into equally sized end sections 46 and 48 and a central section 50 which is substantially longer than the end sections. End plated 40 and 42 include tabs 52 and 54 to which a cover 56 for the central section 50 may be attached by screws 58. End plate 40 and side wall 20 include tabs 60 and 62 respectively to which a cover 64 for the end section 46 may be attached by screws 66, and the other end plate 42 and the side wall 22 include tabs 70 and 72 respectively to which a cover 73 for the end section 48 may be attached by screws 74.

Baffle 34 includes a rear portion 76 extending parallel to the rear wall 18 of the housing 12, an upper portion 78 extending at an acute angle with respect to rear wall 14 of the housing and into the vicinity of the lip 30 of the housing, and a lower portion 80 extending at an acute angle with respect to the rear Wall 14. As shown, the free end of upper portion 78 of the baffle is reversely bent to define an elongated passage 82 having a necked opening 84, and the free end of lower portion 80 is reversely bent to define elongated passage 86 having a necked opening 88. A lip 90 formed in the reversely bent free end of the lower portion 80 contacts lip 32 of the housing 12.

An electric heating element 92 extends throughout the length of the central section 50 of the heater and is supported in the end plates 40 and 42. A plurality of identical parallel heat conducting fins 94 are mounted on the heating element 92 and on a tubular support-member 95 which extends parallel to the heating element and is supported in the end plates 40 and 42. The fins 94 extend transversely of the heating element 92 and support member 94, at right angles to the rear portion 76 of the baffle and parallel to end plates 40 and 42. As shown, the heating element 92 connects at one end with terminal 96 in end section 46 of the housing and connects at the opposite end with terminal 98 in end section 48 of the housmg.

Knock-out discs I00 and 102 are provided in the end section 45 of the housing such that when the discs are removed house wires may be connected to the heater wires 104 and 106 through the housing. I-Ieater wire 104 connects with a conventional thermal cut-ofi switch 108 and the cut-off switch connects through wire 110 with terminal 96 of heater element 92. Heater wire 106 extends from section 46 of the housing through central section 50 and into section 48 to connect with terminal 98 of the heater element. The cut-off switch 108 is connected to a capillary tube 112 containing a fluid that expands as the heat to which the tube is exposed increases.

In accordance with the invention, heater wire 106 extending through the central section 50 is housed in the baffle passage 86 which is specially formed to retain the wire therein, the cross-sectional dimension of the passage being not greatly different from that of the wire I06, and the necked opening 88, having a cross-sectional dimension which is less than that of the wire but which may be temporarily enlarged to permit the wire to be introduced through such opening into the passage. The capillary tube 112 is securely retained in baffle passage 82 having a cross-sectional dimension substantially equal to that of the tube and an expandable necked opening 84 with a somewhat smaller cross-sectional dimension. During assembly of the heater, the wire 106 and capillary tube 112 may be rolled into position in the passages 86 and 82 respectively very quickly with the aid of a small wheel. Sheet steel or any other material not subject to destruction or marked distortion by heat andsufficiently resilient in the form indicated to permit the necked openings 88 and 84 to be expanded to the crosssectional dimensions of the wire 106 and capillary tube 112 respectively may be used in the construction of baffle 34.

While the invention has been described in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitations, and that changes within the the purview of the ofiended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

lead connected to one of the terminals of the heating element and housed in one of the said passages; a thermal-switch; and a capillary tube for the thermal-switch housed in the other passage for at least a substantial portion of the length of the baffle.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said capillary tube is housed in the elongated passage of the upper portion of the baffle and said wire lead is housed in the elongated passage of the lower portion of the bafile. 

1. In an electrical heating unit, a finned tubular heating element having electrical terminals at opposite ends; a heat deflecting baffle extending parallel to the finned heating element and in close proximity thereto, the baffle including a rear portion extending behind the finned tubular member, an upper portion having a reversely rearwardly bent portion defining an elongated passage with a necked rear opening, and a lower portion having a rearwardly bent portion defining another elongated passage with a necked rear opening; a wire lead connected to one of the terminals of the heating element and housed in one of the said passages; a thermal-switch; and a capillary tube for the thermal-switch housed in the other passage for at least a substantial portion of the length of the baffle.
 2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said capillary tube is housed in the elongated passage of the upper portion of the baffle and said wire lead is housed in the elongated passage of the lower portion of the baffle. 